At our last meeting of the Nightlighters Book Club, I think the we had two firsts - unless I'm forgetting something. The first first was that we read a YA novel (i.e. young adult). The second, and probably more important first, was that we read book with a LGBTQAI main character. The book? If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo.
I took an insane trip recently where I left Washington, DC at 6 am and flew to LA (a 4+ hour flight) and then took a flight home that same day. Other than realizing that was not one of the smartest decisions I ever made since it left me exhausted and loopy, I did get an excellent amount of writing and reading time in! It made me think of the best places to read and write. Here are my favorites.
This week we had our monthly Nightlighter book club meeting to discuss the YA book, If I Was Your Girl, which lead to an enlightening literary and cultural discussion. Obviously as a writer/author (The Travelers), I think books are very important. It's not a stretch to say that I think book clubs are important. So let's talk about why I love my book club and why every person should be in one!
• This week in Northern Virginia we again saw record highs, all week. Not just one day, not just one afternoon - all week. In February in the Washington, DC area, the cherry blossoms are budding. So, let's talk about climate change and how to educate ourselves and others on this topic through information and books!
They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. According to the internet that phrase originated from a guy named Fred R. Barnard, sort of. There's debate about this. Regardless, as a writer, I think I prefer the 1,000 words, generally. Maybe that's why this doesn't sound so crazy to me...
I recently went to the San Francisco ballet and wrote a blog about it. What I didn't mention in that blog was that right after the ballet ended, we headed over to a protest across the street. And in the sea of black ink on poster board, I realized something important was missing...
Yesterday, thousands of people at JFK airport in New York City and Dulles airport outside Washington, DC, and other cities across the US went to the arrival terminals of international airports and said to the people coming into the US from other countries - We stand with you.
At the Woman's March this weekend in DC, I saw a poster with a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt, "Well-behaved women seldom make history." I love this quote. I want to get it tattooed on my arm. In honor of those women and continuing the ideals embodied in the Women's March this weekend, here are 10 books about women "behaving badly" and making a difference doing it.
Every time someone yelled "Tell me what democracy looks like" and a roaring crowd responded, "This is what democracy looks like," I felt my heart lifted with hope just a little bit on Saturday during the Women's March on Washington. I first heard this refrain when we stepped out of the subway...
K.L. Kranes 